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Dragonfly-kinden
About Dragonfly-kinden are an Inapt race native to the Commonweal, a large area north of Lowlands. They have ruled the Commonweal for centuries as its aristocratic lords, governing its provinces while Grasshoppers and other kinden work the land. Cultured and athletic, Dragonfly-kinden are excellent fliers, second only to Flies for speed and agility and second to none for grace. Being Inapt, they have no use for physical trades and so devote their time to such pursuits as poetry, art, archery and swordfighting. Dragonfly society is quite stratified, with various levels existing within the nobility. Noble youths are often fostered at the courts of other Princes, and they honour their foster parents as much as their own. For those destined to inherit high station, courtly skills are considered as vital as political and martial ones. Dragonfly architecture is tall and airy, with openings in walls and roofs to allow flying in and out. The Commonweal The Commonweal is the land of the Dragonfly-kinden, a large kingdom at least the size of the Lowlands. Cooler and wetter than its southern neighbour, much of the Commonweal is covered with hills and forests. As a land of the Inapt, is has no large cities and settled areas are centred on castles. Law and order is maintained by the Mercers, an order of errant knights who travel the kingdom hunting bandits and dangerous beasts. It is also home to a number of rarer kinden such as Butterflies and Stick-insects, whose lands the Dragonflies protect. The Commonweal is divided into Provinces, large areas each ruled by a Prince Major. In the recent past, the Commonweal was subjected to invasion by the Wasp Empire. The resulting Twelve Year War was devastating to both sides, though the Wasps' superior numbers and technology eventually won out and forced the Dragonfly monarch to sign the Treaty of Pearl, ceding three provinces to the Empire in return for cessation of hostilities. This amounted to the Commonweal losing almost half of its territory, but the worst effect of the war was the breakdown of the Commonweal's social structure. With so many Dragonflies killed, even the parts of the Commonweal not surrendered to the Wasps backslid into lawlessness, with banditry running rife and the power of the monarchy much reduced. To outsiders the Commonweal remains a land of exotic mystery, but in truth much of it is now an impoverished, semi-lawless wilderness scarred by war. Outside the Commonweal, there is only one other known Dragonfly settlement: Princep Exilla on the Exalsee. Settled by exiles from the Commonweal long ago, the Dragonflies of Exilla are darker-skinned and much more savage than their cultured northern cousins, sporting patterned tattooes and surviving mostly through piracy. They have, however, retained the ancient art of Dragonfly-riding, and riders often pit themselves against the mechanised aircraft of other cities around the Exalsee. Art Dragonflies are masters of flight, and some improve on their own natural abilities by riding the giant dragonflies from which their kinden draw their Art. In combat they are able to grow retractable claws from their thumbs. Category: Kinden Category: Dragonflies